This morning we were up early once again and out in the skiffs for an exploration of the waterways that flow through this life-rich basin. While at home, you may be familiar with the morning rush hour traffic sounds around you. There is somewhat of an equivalent here. There are whistles, beeps, sirens, squawks, and honks but these are not of motorcars. This cacophony is produced by exotic sounding creatures such as horned screamers, black-fronted nun birds, black-capped donacobius, and blue-and-yellow macaws. These are some of the more than two dozen bird species identified during our morning outing, along with male and female three-toed sloth, saddleback tamarin, and brown capuchin monkeys. The morning sound of the tropical rain forest in the Peruvian Amazon is not “noise,” it is a symphony of life, and it is a privilege to be in the audience for this daily performance.
5/24/2025
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Delfin II
Yarapa River, Amazonas Village, Peru
Leaving Delfin II at 06:00 for our morning skiff ride, we explored the Yarapa River and monkeys were everywhere! We saw common wooly monkeys, monk saki monkeys, and common squirrel monkeys. We weren’t monkeying around! In addition to the monkeys there were woodpeckers galore! We photographed crimson-crested, yellow-tufted, and cream-colored woodpeckers as they were busily hammering away at trees and termite nests. Our afternoon was spent at Amazonas Village getting an introduction to life along the river. We enjoyed demonstrations of food preparation, basketmaking with palm fibers, and hand-dying with local plants to give the baskets vibrant colors. We also had an introduction to Minga Peru, a group serving 40 different communities in this area. Our evening was topped off with a toast to the beginning of the actual Amazon River, where the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers converge. Salud!